Impermeable conductive shoe cover



April 30, 1968 B. A. CERALDI 3,381,174

IMPERMEABLE CONDUCTIVE SHOE COVER Filed March 20, 1967 I o ,152', u i

INVENTOR BERNARD A. CER/1L D/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3 381 174 IMPERMEABLE concTIvE SHOE COVER Bernard A. Ceraldi, Cleveland, Ohio, assigner to Westshore Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 624,374 5 Claims. (Cl. 317-2) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE wearer.

The present invention relates as indicated to an impermeable conductive shoe cover particularly designed for use in environments such as hospital operating rooms and the like where anesthetics present a distinct explosive hazard.

In the indicated environment, conductive foot wear has been employed for quite some time to reduce the noted hazard, with the conductive foot wear serving to ground the individual or individuals wearing the same thereby preventing the creation of static electric discharges thereby substantially eliminating explosions resulting from this source.

The deficiencies of previous foot wear of this general type have been specifically pointed out in my earlier U.S. Patent 3,296,489, issued Ian. 3, 1967, and reference is directed thereto for a more thorough discussion in this regard.

The invention disclosed and claimed in my noted earlier patent comprises a conductive shoe cover of expansible and contractible textile material for snugly receiving the foot of the wearer and being capable of retention on the foot of the wearer with-out requiring supplemental supporting means such as tie strings, separate elastic bands or the like. Although the shoe cover disclosed and claimed in my earlier patent has had substantial commercial success, the textile material preferably employed did not inherently prevent deleterious material, such as dirt and the like, from coming off the shoe of the wearer and being deposited on the floor of the operating room and the like, an obviously undesirable circumstance in View of the sterile conditions required in such environment. In addition, the textile material employed did not prevent liquids, for example blood, or other materials from penetrating through the cover and being deposited on the shoe or clothing of the wearer. g

With the above in mind, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a shoe cover having the indicated preferred retention characteristics while at the same time being inherently impermeable thereby to prevent deleterious solid or liquid material from being transmitted from the shoe of the wearer to the floor of the operating room, or vice versa.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a shoe cover constructed of the preferred elastic material having associated therewith an impermeable inner 3,381,174 Patented Apr. 30, 1968 the textile body of the shoe cover only at the adjoining toe regions of these respective members whereby the contractibililty of such material is not in any way altered thereby permitting the shoe cover to be snugly received on the foot of the wearer without requiring supplemental retaining means.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the elastic textile material is impregnated in at least the sole portion thereof with a plastic material to render such portion of the shoe cover impermeable to solid or liquid materials to afford the noted advantage.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a shoe cover possessing the noted advantage which nevertheless can be manufactured at relatively low costs thereby permitting disposal of the same after a single use.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of Athe surgical shoe cover of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a prespective view of the surgical shoe cover of FIG. 1, showing the same slipped over the shoe of the wearer;

FlG. 3 is a sectional View taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2 showing more clearly the manner in which the conductive strip and the inner plastic liner are attached to the textile material of the shoe cover;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 of -a modied form of the invention.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, where like parts are indicated by like reference numerals,"the conductive shoe cover of the present invention comprises a body portion 10 of elastic expansible textile material, for example the type of material commonly referred to Ias cotton stockinette, an inner impermeable, pliable plastic liner 11, and an electrically conductive strip 12 attached to the bottom of the body 1G in a manner to be presently described. When not in use, the shoe cover is relatively flat and substantial quantities thereof can be conveniently stored or shipped with minimum space requirements and at minimum costs.

The inner plastic liner 11 is preferably made of a plastic material such as polyethylene and extends from the toe region of the cover body to an area considerably beyond the open end of the body 11. The liner is preferably generally bag shaped, the closed end 13 thereof terminating within the closed end 14 of the cover -body 11. The closed end of the plastic liner can be secured in any suitable manner to the cover body, for example by stitching 1S or the like which serves also to form the closed end of the cover body. The plastic liner is otherwise unattached to the cover body, the importance of which 4will be made apparent hereinbelow.

The open end of the cover body 11 terminates in a stretch band portion 16 adapted to snugly tit the ankle of the wearer to enhance retention of the cover in its desired position.

The electrically conductive strip 12 is in the form shown relatively at and narrow and is stitched to the cover body as indicated at 17 along the bottom thereof from the toe of the cover body to the region thereof generally adjacent the heel of the shoe of the wearer when the Cover is slipped on, as shown in FIG. 2. The free end 18 of the strip extends substantially beyond the open end of the body 11 to permit such free end to be tucked inside the sock of the wearer in direct contact with the skin. The strip can be formed of any suitable conductive material, such as a carbon or metallic particle irnpregnated fabric of known and commercially available construction.

The manner in which the described shoe cover is used should be apparent from the above description. The wearer grasps the exposed, open end of the plastic liner, opening the same for insertion of the shoe therein. The liner 11, and thus the cover body 10 attached thereto at the adjacent toe regions thereof, are then pulled toward the wearer until the toe of the wearers shoe reaches the adjoining toe regions of the cover body and liner, with the strip 12 being positioned generally midway transversely of the shoe bottom of the wearer. The cotton stockinette cover body is then similarly pulled on so as to fit snugly around the shoes and foot of the wearer and readily adapts itself to the shaped shoe and foot of the wearer. The elastic band section le of the body 10 terminates in the ankle or lower leg region of the wearer and serves to retain the shoe cover in its proper position. When the shoe cover has been slipped entirely on, the free end 18 of the conductive strip is tucked within the sock 20 of the wearer into direct skin contact. In like manner, a shoe cover is slipped over the other shoe of the wearer thereby conditioning the wearer for safe movement within the operating room or similar environment.

-It will be noted that the pliable inner plastic liner also conforms to the shoe and foot of the wearer owing to the contractible, snug tit inherently provided by the stockinette material. It will also be evident that by virtue of the attachment of the liner and body only at the toe regions thereof, the liner in no way impairs the contractibility of the cover body, the latter thereby maintaining its characteristic of self-retention without supplemental support means such as the tie strings or the like.

To remove `the shoe cover, the wearer simply grasps the top exposed ends of the liner 11 and pulls the same toward the toe of the shoe, thereby stripping the cover from the shoe and foot.

The impermeability of the plastic inner liner prevents dirt or the like carried on the shoes of the wearer from contaminating the operating room door, and, conversely the liner prevents liquids or other deleterious material from contacting the shoe or socks of the wearer.

There is shown in FIG. an alternative form of shoe cover construction wherein the cover body in the region 22 thereof, which comprises the bottom of the cover when the same has been placed on the foot of the wearer, is impregnated with a plastic material 23 as shown in this cross-sectional view. The stockinette material when thus impregnated with such plastic material is rendered impermeable in such region thereby preventing material from being transmitted through the bottom of the cover to or from the floor of the operating room or the like. The plastic impregnated area has been made to extend a predetermined distance on either side of the conductive strip 12 thereby to provide an impermeable surface for substantially varying shoe sizes.

The shoe cover made in accordance with FIG. 5 is applied to the foot of the wearer by grasping the open end of the cover body, inserting the shoe therein, and pulling the cover on, as described above. The strip 12, which is of generally the same length as shown in the FIGS. l4 form, is then tucked inside the sock of the wearer -for maximum grounding effect.

It will thus be seen that the shoe covers comprising both forms of the invention possess the highly desirable feature of self-retention while simultaneously providing an impermeable barrier for preventing the potentially contaminating material from passing to or being picked up from the door of the operating room. The shoe cover can be manufactured at relatively low cost thereby permitting disposition thereof after a single use, as desired.

Other modes or applying the principles of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

ll. A conductive surgical shoe cover lfor rendering electrically conductive the wearer thereof comprising a body portion of textile material elastically stretchable to expand over and snugly fit the shoe and foot of the wearer, electrically conductive means secured to said cover and engageable with the floor or the like and adapted to c011- tact the body of the wearer for grounding the wearer, generally tubular impermeable pliable plastic liner means within said cover, and means for securing said plastic liner means to said cover, said plastic liner means serving to prevent deleterious material from passing outwardly from or inwardly to the shoe and clothing of said wearer.

2. The shoe cover of claim 1 wherein said plastic liner means is secured to said cover in only the adjoining toe regions of said cover and liner means whereby said liner means does not impair the snug litting of said textile material on the shoe and foot of the wearer.

3. The shoe cover of claim 2 wherein said plastic liner means is generally bag shaped and at least coextensive with the length of said cover so as to provide a protective barrier throughout the entire length of said cover.

4. The shoe cover of claim 2 wherein said plastic liner means is generally bag shaped with the outer, open end thereof extending outwardly Ifrom the open end of said body to facilitate application and removal of said shoe cover.

5. A conductive surgical shoe cover for rendering electrically conductive the wearer thereof, comprising an elastically stretchable tubular body portion of textile material adapted to be expanded to t snugly over the shoe of the wearer, an impervious plastic bottom portion secured to said body portion internally thereof adapted to underlie the sole -of such shoe when worn thereover, and electrically conductive means secured to the underside of said body portion and extending therefrom into position to contact the body of such wearer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,296,489 1/1967 Ceraldi 317--2 3,146,377 8/1964 Whitton 317-2 3,013,184 12/1961 Adams 317--2l MILTON O. HIRSHFIELD, Primary Examiner.

J. A. SILVERMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

